[An international medical expert committee's participation in uncovering the truth on the liquidation of Polish officers found in mass graves at Katyn in the spring of 1943 and the biography of a Danish participant, Helge Tramsen (1910-1979)].

The article is based on a paper read as a invited speaker at a conference, entitled "Medical experts and expertise in cases of humanitarian crises "convened by the University of Geneva and the Committee of the International Red Cross in April 2007. The article starts with an overview of Polish history from the end of World War I up to the disclosure of the mass graves in the spring of 1943, but is otherwise a translation of the original English lecture with some additions from new findings.in archives.

[Building confidence in biological products].

During the last decades of the 19th century, discoveries in microbiology paved the way for health programmes as an integral part of social modernisation. Public opinion about the consequences for governmental involvement differed, but in Denmark the state's openness to modern medicine encouraged the establishment of Statens Serum Institut (SSI) in 1902, initially for the production of anti-diphtheritic serum. Under its director, Thorvald Madsen (1870-1957), the SSI soon acquired a reputation for the high quality of its products and its cutting edge research.

Characteristics of Hodgkin's lymphoma after infectious mononucleosis.

Background: Infectious mononucleosis-related Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been associated with an increased risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma in young adults. Whether the association is causal remains unclear.

Methods: We compared the incidence rates of Hodgkin's lymphoma in two population-based Danish cohorts of patients who were tested for infectious mononucleosis: 17,045 with serologic evidence of having had acute EBV infection, and 24,614 with no such evidence.

Wastewater exposure and health--a comparative study of two occupational groups.

Aims: To investigate whether wastewater workers are at increased risk of developing cancer.

Methods: Two cohorts of workers employed by the City of Copenhagen, 591 wastewater workers and 1545 water supply workers (controls), were followed from 1965 until 1998. These two cohorts were compared in terms of cause specific mortality and cancer incidence.

[Physicians and nurses subjected to disciplinary actions because of substance abuse. Ten years of experience with supervision in Copenhagen].

Introduction: Medical Health Officers supervise medical staff on behalf of the Danish National Board of Health. The Board can impose disciplinary action on registered providers of health care.

Material And Methods: This retrospective investigation was based on case reports from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1995 on medical staff under individual supervision because of alcohol or drug abuse, with a 3-year follow-up to 31 December 1998 in Greater Copenhagen (about 1.

[Acceptance of mammographic screening by immigrant women].

Background: The aim was to investigate compliance by ethnic groups to the mammography screening programme in the City of Copenhagen over six years and to look at developments over time.

Material And Methods: Mammography screening has, since 1 April 1991, been offered free of charge to all women between 50 and 69 years of age in the City of Copenhagen. Data on women born in Poland, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and Pakistan divided into five-year groups were compared to that of women born in Denmark and all other foreign-born women.

[To die alone, a big city problem?].

The question whether being found dead is a problem related to living in a big city was examined by using death certificates from a 3-month period in 1994. The rates of persons found dead were higher for both sexes in the City of Copenhagen than in the rural County of Storstrøm. The age distribution showed that the rate increased with advancing age.

Risk of Hodgkin's disease and other cancers after infectious mononucleosis.

Background: Infectious mononucleosis, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, has been associated with an increased risk for Hodgkin's disease. Little is known, however, about how infectious mononucleosis affects long-term risk of Hodgkin's disease, how this risk varies with age at infectious mononucleosis diagnosis, or how the risk for Hodgkin's disease varies in different age groups. In addition, the general cancer profile among patients who have had infectious mononucleosis has been sparsely studied.

[Occurrence of hepatitis B and C among mentally retarded].

The objective of this study was to examine whether the prevalence of hepatitis C, like hepatitis B, is increased among the mentally retarded in Denmark. The prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B and C was examined in an institution for the mentally retarded. A total of 126 out of 178 inhabitants (71%) with a median age of 49 years (range 23-78) participated.

Risk of low birthweight in social districts of Copenhagen.

The purpose of this survey was to investigate the small-area variations in low birthweight within social services districts in Copenhagen and the relation of such variations to the socioeconomic characteristics of the district. The study was based on register data and included all live-born single on births to women living in the city of Copenhagen from 1987-90. We found a statistically significant association between district and risk of newborns being small-for-gestational age (SGA).

[Vibrio vulnificus infections in Denmark during the summer of 1994].

The clinical manifestations and epidemiological data of 11 patients infected with Vibrio vulnificus found in Denmark during the unusually warm summer of 1994 are reported. All patients had been exposed to seawater prior to illness, but none had consumed seafood. Nine patients, including four with bacteraemia, developed skin manifestations of various degrees of severity.

Preventing sudden infant deaths--the slow diffusion of an idea.

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is among the leading causes of post-neonatal mortality in industrialised countries. Research has highlighted that many of these deaths are avoidable by adopting a few simple precautions. These include sleeping in the supine position, avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke, breast feeding where possible, and avoiding over heating.